Thursday, March 16, 2017

What Inspires Medeia Sharif

Today I'm bringing you a new book from a name many of you know all too well. If you've been around a while, you probably miss Medeia Sharif as much as I do! Today she has a new book out and she's sharing what inspired her to write it. Scroll down to read all about the book and buy your copy after her guest post.What inspired me to write GIRL WITHOUT A FACE…by Medeia SharifWe all see the same thing as we go to and from our workplaces. On my route, I see my favorite trees—African tulip, yellow tab, and golden shower—and the stores and gas stations that are frequent stops. One thing that I kept seeing years ago—and that is still there—is a memorial marker.In Florida, we have lollipop-shaped markers indicating where someone died in a traffic accident. They all read “Drive Safely, In Memory,” followed by the deceased person’s name. Loved ones can request them from the Department of Transportation.On my way back home, I saw one particular marker that always had flowers. For quite a while I thought about writing a book involving one. I just had to wait for the idea to come to me. When GIRL WITHOUT A FACE was in its planning stages, I didn’t want to let it go. I sometimes write outlines that I don’t follow up on, but this outline became a book that I drafted fast—my published works seem to always be drafted fast, while the ones that don’t become drawer manuscripts until I’m passionate enough to rewrite them. So, that’s how GIRL WITHOUT A FACE came to be. It was from stopping at a particular intersection and seeing this memorial marker five days a week.

Blurb:Destiny awakes with amnesia. She'd been driving on a wet road, about to leave flowers at a memorial marker of a deceased classmate, when she almost met that same fate.Her mother, Mildred, is beyond restrictive, and she doesn’t want Destiny to have her cellphone back. A nurse sneaks it into her room, but it’s useless without the passcode. After her hospital stay, her mother becomes physically abusive.Destiny and the boy she’s developing feelings for decide to drive around to spark her memory. She’s positive she crashed near a memorial marker. When they find the place in question, and when Destiny remembers her phone’s passcode, nothing is as it seems—and Mildred is crazier than she first thought.

I was born in New York City and I presently call Miami my home. I received my master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University. After becoming a voracious reader in high school and a relentless writer dabbling in many genres in college, I found my niche writing for young people. Today I'm a MG and YA writer published through various presses. In addition to being a writer, I'm a public school teacher. My memberships include Mensa, ALAN, and SCBWI.

11 comments:

The markers are a lovely way to remember a loved one. Where I'm from people put up their own small crosses. Congratulations, Medeia. This sounds like a fascinating read. Wishing you much success (and missing seeing you around blogdom too).

Medeia - I've often wondered at the stories behind the road memorials, too, but I think you've done something brilliantly creative with this novel. I also like to tuck story ideas away in the hope of them coming out as something interesting in the future.

Hi Steph - thanks for bringing Medeia to us - and that was fascinating to learn how her book came about ... and then of course the study into amnesia and the mystery being solved ... can quite see why Medeia decided to write it - those markers must be quite daunting to see ...